DYNO: Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG Dynojet OVER 480HP

Here's the video of the dyno run - gotta love how this thing pulls!!!
Here's a link to the dyno-sheet

got racecar?

Kleemann headers - gotta love the sound, such unexpected noise on the Merc :)

Don't worry, it's all sealed up now but I had to capture the raw sound...

and now for something yummy...

MET-Rx Big 100 Cookie Dough Protein Bars 9 Count

Installed the new Gates Fleetrunner Supercharger Belt - Hulk Green!

Last night I finally got around to replacing (upgrading) my supercharger serpentine belt with a new Fleetrunner Gates FleetRunner Supercharger Drive Belt  belt.  It's about 1/2" shorter than the stock belt to better match up with the smaller supercharger pulley.  Took all of 5 minutes by using the 17mm wrench, loosening the belt tensioner, and swapping the belt.  I can't believe the garage charges $120 to do this!

Gates FleetRunner Supercharger Drive Belt

Here's a quick little video of my new HULK colored belt ;)

If you get this belt on Amazon - it's over 1/2 price of what most stores sell it locally for.  Unbelievable!

Trimming the fat... not what you think!

OK - not really about weight loss or removing stuff from the car to make it lighter, but ever since I had the larger heat exchanger mounted, the E55 has had a bit of a 'swollen lip' look to it... 

A recent trip to Monterey, CA showed to be a challenge for the lip... notice the chunk removed!

Well, over the past 9 months of that little 'extra' fat lip, took its toll.  Here's what I found a few weeks ago after a long drive to Monterey, CA and back.  

Yes, that's a little rubber strip that is usually below the oil cooler, and part of the underbody tray directly below the heat exchanger.  The wear and tear of little bumps here and there eventually cracked the parts off.

So, now that I have more clearance due to the plastic pieces coming out, I figured I'd give a trim to the fat lip.  Used a simple utility knife to gracefully trace the lines between that 1/4" edge and the rest of the bumper lip.  

And here's the result of my handiwork.  

I think it slimmed things down quite a bit, even though it's only a 1/4" edge!

Alltrade Squeeze Utility Knife, Auto-Loading Squeeze, 6 Heavy-Duty Blad…

Hopefully I won't run into any more sharp pointy things!

Mercedes AMG Books - know of any good ones?

Searching the interwebs, looking for some good books about Mercedes-AMG history — know any good ones? Did you know AMG stands for Aufrecht, Melcher, and Großaspach?

Found these on Amazon. The Brooklands 2000–2006 portfolio was already here; the rest are history books and factory titles that still have live listings.

Mercedes AMG Ultimate Portfolio 2000-2006
E55 / C55 road tests
Mercedes AMG Gold Portfolio 1983-1999
Hammer, 190, early E55
AMG 45: The Story - The Cars
every series AMG through SLS
AMG: Reaching for the Stars
factory history to 2005
Mercedes-Benz: The AMG Cars
1993–2024, every official model
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
gullwing coffee-table
Mercedes-AMG GT: A Star is Born
SLS successor, factory book
Mercedes-Benz W124: The Complete Story
W124 including AMG
Mercedes-Benz W201 (190): The Complete Story
190E and DTM

Mercedes AMG Ultimate Portfolio 2000-2006 — The one that was already here: Brooklands reprints of period road tests covering C32/C55, CLK55, CLS55, E55, G55, ML55, S55/S65, SL55/SL65, SLK32/55, and the SLR McLaren.

Mercedes AMG Gold Portfolio 1983-1999 — The earlier Brooklands companion: 190 3.2, Hammer, C36/C43, E36/E50/E55/E60, SL60, S55, and CLK-GTR, from the independent-tuner years through the 1999 merger.

AMG 45: The Story - The Cars — Official 45th-anniversary hardcover: 117 series cars, specs, and archive photos from the first tuned saloons through the SLS, with Aufrecht and Melcher opening their files.

AMG: Reaching for the Stars — Factory-authorized 2006 history by Frank Mühling and Markus Bolsinger — Affalterbach, the race program, and the V8/V12 years right around the W211 E55.

Mercedes-Benz: The AMG Cars — Brian Long's year-by-year chronicle of official AMG production cars from 1993 through 2024, plus the Hammer, DTM, and the Mercedes partnership.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG — Delius Klasing factory book on AMG's first in-house sports car: coupe, roadster, GT3, and e-cell.

Mercedes-AMG GT: A Star is Born — The SLS follow-on as AMG's 911 fighter, with the heritage bits that lead up to the first GT.

Mercedes-Benz W124: The Complete Story — James Taylor's W124 history, including the specials and AMG cars that became the Hammer generation.

Mercedes-Benz W201 (190): The Complete Story — The 190 that AMG first turned into a customer car (190 3.2) and that Mercedes raced in DTM — Cosworth 16-valve context included.

Following on from the merger between AMG and DaimlerChrysler in 1999, the AMG engineers' touch showed up across the Mercedes-Benz range — C-Class through S-Class and SLK, plus ML and G-Class. Not left out: the SLR McLaren with its supercharged 5.5 litre quad-cam V8, fettled in Affalterbach. The 2000–2006 portfolio collects road and comparison tests, releases, and buying notes on C30/32/55, CLK430/55/GTR, CL55/65, CLS55, E55, G55, ML55, S55/65, SL55/65, SLK32/55, plus the SLR.

Post some links to good ones you know!

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Mercedes E55 AMG Zoomin...

Mann Filter HU 718/5 x Cartridge Oil Filter Replacement Compatible With…

not much explanation needed for this... :o)

and here's an oil filter for the E55 - good deal! :)

Shop Amazon - New Year, New You Event

Data logging - man, this is fun!

With all the fun mods, and my I/C pump failing last month - I figured it's a good time to start logging ECU/Sensor data on my car.  I've always wanted to check this stuff out - but just never had the motivation and/or patience to set it all up.  I found that it's really easy now...

First and foremost you need to get an OBD-II connection that will pull the data from your vehicle.  I did lots of research and wanted to find the best 'bang for the buck' setup.  There are fantastic options like the DashDaq but they cost $550 and I'd rather put that into other stuff - so I found the 'PLX Kiwi 2 Wifi' Car to Smartphone Connection ELM327 Compatible

This is a really simple setup, you plug one end into the vehicle's OBD-II port and there's a 6' cable that you can mount anywhere in the vehicle.  There is a little on-off switch and the wireless component lights up when it's turned on.   Basically it sets up an Ad-Hoc Wireless connection to any device with Wireless access.  In this case I'm using my iPhone4.

Obviously - the iPhone needs an app to read the data - so I went with one that is actively monitored/developed called Dash Command for $49.99 on the app store.

It's a pretty cool application and monitors your car in real time!  Check out the screen shot below!

'PLX Kiwi 2 Wifi' Car to Smartphone Connection ELM327 Compatible
adapter for $60 on Craligslist - pretty awesome considering they cost $149 new!

There are 5 different tabs (along the bottom) but this screen gives me a good look at timing and the intake temps!  This screen shot was taken on 105*F day outside, so my I/C pump is working hard to keep the intake temps to ~10-12*F within ambient temps!  Much better than last month when my IATs were in the 170-180*F range!  

Lots to learn from this setup as there is SO much data now, so I'll need some time to figure out all this info to make more sense of it all - but the instant data is excellent and I can't complain to have a setup for ~ $110 in comparison to the $550 models out there!

Finally got the new intercooler installed

It took a while, but I wanted to be sure to time this correctly - I had to have one of my headlights replaced under warranty so the front bumper needed to be pulled anyways - so I saved some labor costs :)  The guys at Von Housen were fantastic!

Unboxed the new heat exchanger - looks great!

and here it is installed... (subtle - yet effective!)

now it's time to add one of these guys...

Rislone Hy-per Cool Super Coolant, 16 oz.
Red Line 80204 WaterWetter Super Coolant - 12 Ounce

Colder Spark Plugs for the E55 - NGK LFR7AIX #2309

Looking to get some new plugs for the E55, many have said that a colder plug should be used to reduce EGTs (Exhaust Gas Temperatures) when adding more power - basically one step colder per every 75HP added. Spark Plugs have been recommended by many on the popular sites.  Granted, on the E55 - 16 plugs are needed - YIKES!

NGK Iridium IX Spark Plug LFR7AIX # 2309 PK4

These are a great set of plugs! Really smooths out the idle and helps to keep exhaust temps under control!

You gotta be pulley'in my leg!

OK - someone needs to stop with all the group buys - just too tempting!  Ended up getting a new developmental 84mm pulley that fits on the supercharger, instead of the usual crank pulley that spins everything faster/harder on the engine.  About 28.5% of the rotational weight has been taken off the pulley which means less wear & tear on the engine and components.

Here's the new (middle) vs old (right) design - note the thickness (weight) on the OEM design, the one of the left is an even SMALLER version - but I stuck with the 83/84mm :)

What's nice about this design is that it is less weight and offers faster spooling of the S/C instead of the stock pulley - it's been developed to meet OEM quality and has a slip-resistant coating on the ribs.  Here it is, fresh out of the UPS box.  Just waiting to add 1.5-2PSI of boost :)

It looks to be a stellar part and much cheaper than the crank pulleys which (IMHO) tend to be more trouble than what they're worth on a daily driver.  I hope to get this installed soon :-)

Scoopin it up!

Well, in my last update - I was hoping to save up a few $$ to get the TTM scoops - and, well - there was this group buy going on - so I jumped in - they look great and from some testing they increase airflow by ~5% and also create more pressure (from somewhat a ram-air effect) - reducing the pressure needed by .55%

They came via USPS packaged very nicely, two scoops the mounting bolts and some heater hose to keep things from rubbing.

Here they are installed on the car, two simple holes, and a simple lock nut on each side

and here's a look with the hood closed...  

...all ready for some forced-air fun!

Add a little more air - for free!

Small changes to allow more air into the engine and out the exhaust are pretty common modifications that people make to their cars.  I went a more subtle route - by removing restrictions.  May as well optimize the stuff that's already present...

In my previous post - I put in the K&N filters - and this week I removed the rubber/plastic snorkels that come through the front of the engine bay - they're restrictive to a point - reducing noise mostly as this is an "executive" car - but they also reduce the airflow...

Previous photo of the while I was installing my new LED city lights... 

also note the 5K LED on the left, and the standard 4.3K bulb on the right...

and now with the front end 'de-snorkeled'

 now there's less "stuff" in the way of the air to get to the engine, so it was a 'free' power modification!

hopefully I can save up a few more bucks and get these nice looking TTM scoops to channel more air to the intake, they don't really provide ram air to a s/c engine, but gives more direct airflow when moving...

E55 AMG Mods & Upgrades

First and foremost, I'm not one to sit by and drive a plain old car that's not discernible from the rest - pretty much every car I've owned has been unique in it's own way...

So here's the list of modifications done - nothing too crazy - just tried and true mods.

PERFORMANCE UPGRADES:
Get some more air into the engine - for < $40/ea (and you need two) - I love these
K&N High-Flow Original Lifetime Engine Air Filter: Increase Power: Prem…

 

TTM Performance Air Scoops
While they don't add much in the sense of 'power' - they look AWESOME!  Many heads turn when you pop the hood, even the Mercedes dealer techs love these.
Check out Tuning Technology Motorsports (TTM) in New York.

AESTHETIC UPGRADES:

AMG Aluminum Pedals from JBSpeed

Painted E63 Lip Spoiler from JBSpeed

LED 5K City Lights from AZNOptics

K&N High-Flow Original Lifetime Engine Air Filter: Increase Power: Prem…

Eurocharged 82mm S/C Pulley:

Eurocharged ECU & TCU Tune:

This blog is (and will be) under construction for a while...